Exploring IT Ethics on Software Piracy and Customer Privacy

Perhaps one of the most common unethical requests IT professionals face is to install, maintain, or at least overlook, unlicensed software. In a report released in June 2002, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) reported that 40 percent of software worldwide . . . Perhaps one of the most common unethical requests IT professionals face is to install, maintain, or at least overlook, unlicensed software. In a report released in June 2002, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) reported that 40 percent of software worldwide is pirated. In the United States, where the BSA has helped lead "sweeps" of illegal software, 26 percent is still pirated.

IT professionals also face more ethical dilemmas as companies collect more information from customers. Businesses want to gather and use that data in as many ways as possible, but their customers probably want as much privacy as possible. One question that anyone from a Webmaster to a CIO may have to consider is: Should customers who register at an organisation's Web site have to "opt out" to ensure that their information isn't sold to other companies?

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